Business Branding Tip

Planning is important for every business, and few times throughout the year are better than December to put in some planning time.  Before 2022 hits, take a fresh look at the following areas:

Buff Up The Budget—Did you have a budget in place for 2021? If so, this would be a great time to assess your total income and expense performance to equip accuracy and focus in 2022 goals. If not, now is a good time to start that process!

Your budget should include your monthly revenues and expenses, while projecting profitability.  Remember: the key indicator for the health of your business is not how much money you generate - but how much money you retain for personal salary, future investment, and growth.

Stock Your Shelves—Starting the New Year with an accurate accounting of your inventory and business supplies will eliminate urgent spending and missing on end of year deals.The actual number might be different than what you believe.  Double-check your inventory now, so you don’t run into any problems as you start 2022.

Clean Out The Closet—Clutter and lack of organization can hamper a fresh, vibrant start for the New Year.  Clean up, store, and purge old or unnecessary files- both digital and paper.  Go through desks, shelves, closets and those corners that accumulate "stuff" and pitch what you don't need or don't use. It's refreshing and makes room for efficiency.

Tune Up For Taxes
December is a great time to roll up and assess your 2021 so you aren't sweating deadlines in the New Year.  Going through income and tax advantages at the end of this year will help you be smarter about spending and allocations in the New Year.

Don't forget to consider tax implications for items like the personal money you invested to get started or support lags in cash flow, education courses you might have attended,  and payments to contractors, marketing, etc.

Check in with your CPA to make sure you are taking advantage of all potential deductions, amortization, and deferments that small businesses are eligible for.  According to Entrepreneur magazine, it’s usually a lack of awareness that leads to missed opportunities.

Finally, Focus and Energize For 2022
The end of the year may feel like the finish line, but it’s really a new beginning! Now is the time to get fired up and energized for the New Year!  Consider throwing a party to celebrate your 20212 successes, taking some well-deserved holiday vacation time, give yourself a bonus...and of course celebrate with those that contributed to your success and steadfastness in what may have been a challenging year.  

Reflect back on 2021. What are you proud of?  What accomplishments fell short that you want to roll into new focus for 2022? Create new benchmarks and dream big! New goals will position your small business for success.

The end of a year is a time to spend with friends and family during the holidays, but it’s also a prime opportunity to prepare your small business for success ahead.  Use these ideas to keep your organization moving to new horizons in the New Year!

Infinity Signs recently completed a project that they were very excited about.  They received a request from Mike Mayers, owner and COO for Mikes Custom Painting in Idaho.  Mike wanted a simple solution to get his brand out on the road, Infinity had the perfect idea.

With a quick design and proof approval, Infinity transformed Mike's van into a mobile billboard at a fraction of the price!

Mike couldn’t have been more pleased with the results!

Infinity designed a logo for a clean and contemporary look all while maintaining his brand image.

Putting our training, equipment, and support to good use, Infinity got the entire order produced and installed to code on time!  Mike cannot be happier with his new van and will be sure to use Infinity Signs again for more signage in the future.

You've decided to cut your own Christmas tree this year, now the fun really begins. Here are few things to keep in mind to make it an enjoyable experience and something you will want to do again next year.

What to Bring:

You want your tree to look nice once it is standing in your house, so a few things besides that nice small hand saw will help. Make sure to take a nice tarp, some rope and bungee cords to help pack and pull that tree out of the woods once you have it cut down.    A tarp size around 6’ wide x 8’-10’ long with grommets works best for most tree’s about 7’ tall.   Rolling that nice tree up inside of the tarp from top to bottom using the rope and bungee cords to pack the tree branches together nice and tight will keep your tree and all the needles in nice shape while you transport it out of the woods and tie it to your vehicle or put in back of your truck back to town.    Don’t forget about yourself and bring a nice backpack with some snacks to enjoy the hike, look around and take your time to find just the right tree.         

*Always plan ahead and be aware of the weather to take appropriate safety gear on your mountain hike.                     

Permits:

For most people in the Boise area, heading up to Idaho City stopping at the Boise National Forest Service office to get a permit and map of where you can go to cut your tree is common, but there are other Forest or BLM offices across the state you can buy a Christmas tree permit at to cut tree’s in those areas.  You can get your permit online at: 

https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/d3d58d2a-1879-11eb-9f9e-de9c832665a5

If you want to get your Boise National Forest Christmas tree permit before you head up into the mountain, there is one location in the valley you can buy it at:

East Cleveland Beverage (208) 459-6442 2518 E Cleveland / Caldwell, ID 83605

Open: Everyday, 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.     permits cost $10 per tree.

Where to go:   The Forest service will provide map area’s on where to go cut a tree. When you get to these area’s, hiking in along streams and forest service roads, look for flatter area’s to find that nice shaped Christmas tree.   If you have access to a 4-wheeler or snowmobile those will expand the areas for you to find a tree.

Caring for your tree:   Since you cut your own tree your already ahead of those who bought it at a Christmas tree stand, you know when your tree was cut and how fresh it is.  When you get it hope, before putting into a stand that will hold water, you will want to give it a nice flat fresh cut, at least a half inch or so.   This will give it a fresh new cut to start easing drawing water up into it’s branches so it stays nice and fresh until Christmas.  Make sure to always keep water in the stand, fresh trees drink lots of water.